INSPIRED BY NIHEI
“Inspired by the work of Tsutomu
Nihei, but also representative of how I
became confident in my taste while
working within Jonathan’s team.”itself in order to make free space for a
brand new piece from me or from
someone else.”
By now, Nivanh’s art was looking
very different. Inf luenced by street
artists 36Recyclab and WK Interact, he
started mixing illustration and graphic
design and even CG elements. He got
into “wheatpasting” – taking pre-made
posters and pasting them to walls, a
technique that helped with the speedy
getaway. “Perfectly matching the size,
the impact and some of the spirit of
graffiti, it became instantly my thing.
I mean, it felt like it was natural for me
to dig into this. And I did. A lot.”
Then, seemingly out of nowhere,
Nivanh received a message from a
friend who knew two directors looking
for a concept artist. To be exact, they
wanted a mech designer for an
upcoming cartoon series, Iron Man:
Armored Adventures. The directors
gave Nivanh a three-month trial.
Throughout that time, he felt uncertain
of his skills as a concept artist. It wasillustration work, but graphic
design and shooting and editing video.
To support himself, he took a job as
a postman (“you know, with a bike
and all”). He didn’t mind it. He
worked early in the morning so the
rest of the day was free for graffiti or
graphic design. Military service was
different. In 2000, he served a
compulsory 10 months, which
disrupted his progress as an artist.
When he got out, he decided it was
time for a change.
NIGHT-TIME ART MISSIONS
The early 2000s were some of Nivanh’s
best times. He would often leave his
Paris apartment late at night and join
friends on “street art missions.” They
would pick a spot, do their thing,
photograph it, and make a speedy
getaway. The idea was to “let the piece
live its own life.” That life was often
very short. But Nivanh learned this
was how street art worked: “The plan
has always been to see a piece dying by
THE MACRO
“I’m going to buy a macro
optic lens for my camera very
soon, so I can take reference
photos of minerals and other
biological elements.”Interview